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OT - Books - Bruce Wang - 04-09-2014

Thought I'd share some thoughts about 3 books I read recently:

The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.  Horowitz is partners with Arrillaga's son-in-law (see how I tied it in with Stanford sports) in the hottest venture capital group in the world right now.  Horowitz worked for Marc Andreesen at Netscape and co-founded Loudcloud with him and was its CEO.  I interviewed there for a summer job, but didn't get it.  Wish I had now, because man did those guys have a wild ride.  Lots of near death experiences, and finally a good exit.  Usually the mega successful startups had the right product at the right time and took off like rockets, brushing off mistakes.  Horowitz's story is full of tough situations and mistakes.  Stuff you can really learn from.  I can't recall a business book I've enjoyed more or learned more from.

Duty by Robert Gates.  There isn't a living American I admire more than Bob Gates, and his previous memoir, From the Shadows is insightful and nuanced.  So I found this book disappointing.  Which probably isn't fair because of my sky high expectations from waiting for this thing ever since he retired.  Plus the press gave away the best spoilers.  His takedown of Biden and how the book ends (I cried) are the best parts and have been widely reported.  I thought he spend way too much time on details to settle scores against various little people that got in his way to rescue the war efforts.  The man is a giant.  As the Shermanator says, a lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep.  He's writing a book about leadership, which I will definitely read.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  Think Willy Wonka meets the Matrix.  If you grew up in the 80s or loved the decade, you will love this book.  There were only two 80s references I didn't get and they were related to Japanese cartoons.  Who knew the Japanese Spider-Man drove a giant robot?  The last time I enjoyed a piece of fiction this much, was probably Dune

Curious as to whether any of you have read anything worth recommending or warning against.

And if you didn't grow up in the '80s... - Redrum - 04-09-2014

...or if you've read any really good books lately,  you might hate Ready Player One.  The trope of the book is a guy in the dystopian future lives out most of the book jacked into an all-encompassing video game.  So really what you're reading about is a world constructed by a guy (the author) who uses the "insider" view of the artificial rules and rewards of video gaming to drive the story.  Went in with an open mind, couldn't finish it.  Felt better when the Stanford friend who sent it to me fessed up that he couldn't take much of it either, before he quit.  In fairness to Publius,  this guy's wife read it and loved it.  De gustibus non est desputandum.

But rather than being all negative, I'll offer The Martian  a book with a backstory.  The author started it as a blog and gained followers with expertise and interest who contributed technical information to make it hold together.  Which is important because it is a story of an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars during a mission emergency.  So the author's speculations ended up with a tale of how this guy could survive for a year and a half between Mars missions with only food, water and oxygen resources for a few months.  Not like you could easily Google all the info you need to write this.  All this tale was refined and vetted by people who got behind the idea of really figuring out how to help the stranded astronaut survive.  It doesn't have the cosmic sci-fi heft of, say, Dune, but it was entertaining and you learn a lot about space, space missions and Mars in a fairly interesting way.

What does Desputandum mean? - Mick - 04-09-2014

(04-09-2014, 07:49 AM)Redrum link Wrote: De gustibus non est desputandum.


I couldn't get it in Google Translate.

Hmmmm. I could - Redrum - 04-09-2014

Latin De gustibus non est desputandum.    In matters of taste there are no disputes.  i.e. we like what we like and debating the merits of one vs. the other is barren form of amusement.

According to Google Translate - Mick - 04-09-2014

(04-09-2014, 08:07 AM)Redrum link Wrote:Latin De gustibus non est desputandum.    In matters of taste there are no disputes.  i.e. we like what we like and debating the merits of one vs. the other is barren form of amusement.

It is "Gustus secundum dicendum, quod non potest esse contentio"

Bad translate software.  Naughty translate software.  She must pay the penalty....

Re: OT - Books - Renaissance Man - 04-09-2014

I read two or three books per week, primarily fiction, and could get bogged down in this topic forever, so I will only mention the book I am in the middle of right now--NOS4A2 by Stephen King's son, Joe Hill.  I am truly enjoying the book so far, especially given the constant mental comparisons I am helplessly making between the father and son.  Hill's book, 300 pages in, compares favorably to some of his Dad's best work--he seems to have inherited King's ability to create instantly memorable characters and to take old genres in unexpected directions.

See, Mick? All that mental abuse by the nuns - Redrum - 04-09-2014

led you to this point.    For what it's worth,  I grew up with de gustibus etc. etc. feeling like I was really wise to know some gem of wisdom expressed in latin.  Of course, I grew up most of my early life believing that girls didn't fart, either.  Next you'll be telling me that Roosevelt was really a commie plant controlled by Moscow Center and his mission was to pollute our bodily essence by fluoridating water.

Actually... - Mick - 04-09-2014

(04-09-2014, 09:02 AM)Redrum link Wrote:led you to this point.    For what it's worth,  I grew up with de gustibus etc. etc. feeling like I was really wise to know some gem of wisdom expressed in latin.  Of course, I grew up most of my early life believing that girls didn't fart, either.  Next you'll be telling me that Roosevelt was really a commie plant controlled by Moscow Center and his mission was to pollute our bodily essence by fluoridating water.

...I've been hanging around attorneys too long.  Mea culpa...

Re: OT - Books - Nan3cy - 04-09-2014

I think I remember reading on this board a recommendation for Slow Getting Up by Nate Jackson. Life in the NFL from the viewpoint of the non-star. It's an enjoyable and interesting read for all us football fans. The guy is an engaging writer. I'll be interested to see what he comes up with next.

Re: OT - Books - Leftcoast - 04-09-2014

Great idea for a discussion topic, Publius!  I tend to alternate between history/biography books and genre novels, mostly mystery or SF.

This last year I've really enjoyed the following three books:

1)  Craig Johnson's Longmire mysteries
Set in Wyoming these realistic procedurals follow a rural sheriff as he investigates crimes in his rural Absaroka county.  There's humor and some intelligence as long as you can forgive his best friend and liaison with the Indian community having a backstory as a running back at Cal.  The books have been adapted for TV on A&E but the TV series is dour and flat compared with the books.  Start with "A Cold Dish" if you pick up the series.

2)  Erik Larson's "In the Garden of the Beasts"
Historical non-fiction covering the family of the new American Ambassador in Pre WW2 Hitler's Germany.  I'm in the middle of this book right now but am finding the slow realization of the true horror of the Nazi regime as it is encountered by an inexperienced academic and his daughter compelling reading.  This first-time ambassador came to his post about as ill prepared for the big political stage as one can imagine.  He'd dreamed of a quiet posting where he could finish a long delayed book on Woodrow Wilson and instead was given the Berlin post after it had been passed over by several other choices.  We've heard about the banality of evil and the book certainly addresses this but it also shows the attractiveness of power particularly through the eyes of the impressionable daughter who initially is swept away by the party scene among the young Nazi leaders.

3)  Gotta give a plug for "Rags to Roses" co-written by one of our own
The behind the scenes interviews, particularly from the O-Linemen to whom the author seems to have had great access, make this book a must-read for any Stanford fan.  Even observant fans will learn much from reading this.

Other books that impressed me this year (meaning I read them this year regardless of when each was published):

**  Neil Gaiman's "Ocean at the end of the Lane"  (Low key but evocative new novel from my favorite modern author)

**  Robert Charles Williams' "Spin"  (Thoughtful science fiction with epic scope)

**  Iain Banks' "Use of Weapons"  (Great non-linear storytelling in what may be the late author's best book within the Culture series.  A difficult read but the main character's story arc leaves behind a big footprint.  It will take a while to forget this story.)


Re: OT - Books - SUBuddha - 04-09-2014

I feel so trite responding to this, but, I am going to chime in despite my less than heady reading. I am a fantasy and SciFi kind of person when it comes to pleasure reading. Additionally, I have certain books I read every few years.

In the last few months I have read the entire "Song of Ice and Fire" series, if you have not read them and enjoy Tolkien and or Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave series, the Arthur myth written from Merlin's perspective) I recommend them, if you have only heard about them and or seen the Game of Thrones on HBO avoid them if this is not your genre. 

I re-read a few of Heinlein's books this year, as I am wont to do. In particular I have read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", "Time Enough For Love" and "I Will Fear No Evil" as light reading. Then again, I am a brobdingnagian Heinlein "homer" and have been since 8th grade.

In terms of non diversionary reading I have been reviewing a few meta-analyses of online learning environments and student learning outcomes for Sage-Open. Most of my work related reading is very job specific and dry, but I am happy to send references to those that want to know more about Learner Centered Teaching in the computer based environment.


Re: Hmmmm. I could - fullmetal - 04-09-2014

(04-09-2014, 08:07 AM)Redrum link Wrote:Latin De gustibus non est disputandum.

There we go.

Re: OT - Books - Leftcoast - 04-09-2014

SUBuddha, I'm also a Heinlein nut and reread the Moon Is a Harsh Mistress and a couple of his Juveniles this year myself. 

Warning - Geek Mode On:

Have you read John Scalzi's "Old Man's War"?  Scalzi's writing voice is rightfully compared with Robert Heinlein's and his Old Man's War is a modern take on the same themes that Heinlein wrote about in Starship Troopers (and Haldeman and Card responded to in "Forever War" and "Ender's Game" respectively.)

Geek Mode off!

In Garden of Beasts - Redrum - 04-10-2014

Enjoyed it, but thought it belongs in a whole constellation of books about the rise of the Third Reich.  The non-fiction account of the gradual  Berlin/Germany "education" of the ambassador and his family was a good vehicle for telling the story.  It's particularly piquant now that we see the re-emergence of a new extreme right in Europe.  Sure, these days they're mostly a bunch of isolated thugs plotting in the shadows and occasionally getting violent...and those are just the kind of people who emerge to take power  In The Garden of Beasts. 

What was interesting is that beyond the normal scholarly research in papers and archives, so much of the information for this book is brought to life by the ambassador's daughter,  who seems like a young enthusiastic bubblehead caught up in the glamour of diplomat society and social affairs. And "affairs".  But apparently she was watching, learning and remembering the whole time. 

Good non-fiction book.  The peek behind the curtain on attitudes toward the Nazis held by top U.S. government officials of the day is really sobering. 

Re: OT - Books - burger - 04-10-2014

(04-09-2014, 07:29 PM)SUBuddha link Wrote:In the last few months I have read the entire "Song of Ice and Fire" series, if you have not read them and enjoy Tolkien and or Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave series, the Arthur myth written from Merlin's perspective) I recommend them, if you have only heard about them and or seen the Game of Thrones on HBO avoid them if this is not your genre.
I have to strongly disagree on Game of Thrones.  While the first three books are exciting and well-paced, the last two are among the worst I've ever read.  My wife, who might be a more discriminating reader than I am, felt exactly the same way.  Books 4 and 5 feature chapter after chapter of characters wandering aimlessly through the wilderness.  The plot hardly advances.  Martin, infamously, does not outline his books ahead of time, and it really shows.  I'm so fed up, that I might just watch the (excellent) HBO series instead of reading the last two books to see how the saga ends.

Re: OT - Books - SUBuddha - 04-10-2014

Leftcoast, thanks for the recommendation. I have just added it to my list for the kindle.

I am currently toying with the idea of reading all of the old books my mom used to teach me to read. I have pretty severe dyslexia, so my mom would read to me every day, then she read with me, and later I had to read to her (an hour a day before school). The list I am compiling that my parents used includes, Ivanhoe, The Three Musketeers, White Fang, The Count of Monte Cristo and Robin Hood. My dad used Asimov and Bradbury with me. This could explain why when I first started to read on my own I tore through the entire John Carter of Mars series, and then all the Heinlein and Tolkien I could get my hands on.

Mrs. Buddha and I just started reading the first Harry Potter book to our 5 year old.

Re: OT - Books - SUBuddha - 04-10-2014

Burger, I agree that the last two were not as good, but I do not think the were horrible. I have this sick trait of wanting to finish a series if I enjoy the first book, so I am in it for the long haul.

Re: OT - Books - burger - 04-10-2014

(04-10-2014, 08:45 AM)SUBuddha link Wrote:Burger, I agree that the last two were not as good, but I do not think the were horrible. I have this sick trait of wanting to finish a series if I enjoy the first book, so I am in it for the long haul.

I know that feeling.  In fact, I finish almost every book I start, even if it turns out to be bad (I'm a perennial victim of the Concorde fallacy).  And when the next Game of Thrones book comes out, I'll probably be too curious to avoid reading it.

You youngsters - Redrum - 04-10-2014

Let's make a pact to connect on this subject 20 yrs. from now.  I'll be on a respirator but will blink messages in morse code with my eyes.  By then I'll wager your tolerance for books that:  falter, lose their way, never get out of the blocks,  are pale successors to books in a series that started out great, ... your tolerance will have dropped to near zero.  Your time and personal bandwidth will be SO much more precious that you won't want to waste it on something that isn't firing on all cylinders.  And that is fair, to reader (yourself) and author.    As noted previously, my last one that got this treatment was Ready Player One..  But it was nothing particularly bad.  Just the latest.  Just the one that flunked whatever quirky filter I use.  I remember when I was a teenager. Dragging myself through Jane Austen and swearing I'd never do that again.  Well, I did,... but less and less as time went by.

Re: OT - Books - dabigv13 - 04-10-2014

I'm in the middle of Richard Evans second book on the Nazis (Third Reich in Power). Very thorough treatment, if a bit dry. I think it's a good overview to place individual narratives within. In the Garden of the Beasts sounds interesting, will put that in the queue.

Just started The Recognitions by William Gaddis- should take the record from Gravity's Rainbow of longest novel I've read. On Pynchon, I would recommend Inherent Vice, very fun and funny LA noir-ish gumshoe story. Sort of like a late 60's Big Lebowksi through the lens of Pynchon. Read it before the film comes out late this year. Probably even more entertaining to the folks on this board who can remember (or fail to remember) the era firsthand